With the school summer holidays inching closer, parents up and down the country are likely to be feeling a mixture of excitement and panic in anticipation of the long summer holiday. If you’re in need of some inspiration to help fill those long hazy days (and prize the kids away from the iPad for a couple of hours) help is at hand.

The National Garden Scheme gives visitors unique access to over 3,500 exceptional private gardens across the country and raises impressive amounts of money for charities including Macmillan Cancer Support. Over the last 40 years an incredible £19 million has been raised for Macmillan from garden visits, funding more than 150 Macmillan nurses and other professionals.

Children under 16 go free in the majority of gardens and, as well as serving delicious tea and cake, some have special feature for youngsters so visiting a garden can be a great adventure for all ages.

So why not inspire your little adventurers to learn about nature and support Macmillan this summer with a visit to a National Garden Scheme garden.